POLICIES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JEREMY FELDMAN ‘16 EXPLAINS changes to the E-Board bylaws.Last Thursday April 7, the Rensselaer Union Executive Board held their final official meeting of the semester.
The Marketing, Advertising, and Publicity Committee presented the new banner designs that would replace the current 125th anniversary designs. Four different designs were presented with the themes “Global View,” “Multicultural Sophistication,” “Intellectual Agility,” and a more generic “Since 1890.” Each of the first three will be paired with the last when hung up around campus. Each of these themes embodies what the Institute is calling the “New Polytechnic” and reflects the teachings of the Clustered Learning Advocacy and Support for Students philosophy. The MAP Committee was looking for reallocation of funding for this project. In a unanimous vote, the E-Board approved the motion to reallocate funds.
Former Director of the Union Joe Cassidy made a guest appearance to the meeting to bid the E-Board a formal good-bye, sending his regards to Student Senate, as he could not make their meeting. He expressed his great pleasure of having worked with them and wished them the best of luck with the remainder of their time at RPI.
Business Administrator Martha McElligott announced the determination of a summer intern for the Administration Office. While Residence Life will set up the student with room and board, the Union will be paying a stipend of $3,000. The purpose of her presentation was to obtain the E-Board’s approval of hiring this summer graduate intern, which was granted.
McElligott presented again for the Clubhouse Pub, appealing for funds to purchase chairs for the pub. The tables and chairs currently residing in the pub were donated by the Class of 1990, the year the pub was founded. Currently, four chairs are missing, and the rest are falling apart. A sum of $2,300 was proposed to cover cost of 36 chairs, which would replace all present and absent chairs. With only one member opposed, the E-Board passed the motion to fund this proposal.
Union Policies Committee chairman Jeremy Feldman ’16 presented the 29 separate amendments made for the E-Board’s bylaws, most of which were clarifications. A 30th amendment was made concerning the situation where the E-Board would be approving something against the bylaws. The requirements for something like this to be approved, according to the proposal made by the Policies committee, would be three-fifths majority as well as the approval of the President. This proposal, as well as whether or not committee chairmen should be approved by both the E-Board and the President, incited much discussion amongst the members. After this discussion and voting, it was concluded that in the case of the Board acting against the procedures of their bylaws, only a three-fifths majority was necessary, without the vote of the President. As for committee chair appointees, both the Board’s and President’s approval were concluded necessary.
The meeting concluded with a motion to formally thank 126th President of the Union Nick Dvorak ’16 for his hard work and contribution to the legacy of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, written and signed by the members of the Executive Board. In an attempt to rule the motion out of order, Dvorak was overruled by all present members of the E-Board. The motion passed unanimously.